Cole Swindell Hints at a Headlining Tour in 2018

Cole Swindell learned a lot by opening for the artists who inspired him to be a singer in the first place, including Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley, and he hopes he'll be able to extend the same helping hand to other rising stars in 2018. The 34-year-old hints that he has big plans for his own headlining tour next year.

"I’m planning on doing my own thing and bringing some friends of mine out with me, but we can’t say too much," Swindell recently shared with The Boot and other reporters at a media event. "I’m just looking forward to a big year in 2018. I’ve been on some huge tours; everybody you could ask for, I’ve had the chance to tour with, and now, for me to be able to take people out with me, it’s going to be fun. Keep your ears and eyes peeled; we’ll let you know soon."

Swindell's early aspirations were to be a songwriter, not a singer, so it's only natural that he has a heart for other songwriters, especially those struggling to get cuts, like he once was.

"I did that for several years before I ever got my record deal, so I know what it means to get a song recorded, for that song to make an album, for it to be a single," Swiindell says. "Even now, in the process of having songs on hold, if I’m not serious about it, I’m not going to hold on to it. Those songs getting recorded is how you make a living as a songwriter. I’m glad my path led me through the songwriting community first."

"Stay Downtown," Swindell's current single, is one of only a handful of tracks from his You Should Be Here album that he didn't write. The song was instead written by Cole Taylor, who recently welcomed a baby boy, and Matt Dragstrem.

"I know what I felt like when Luke singled "Roller Coaster," and how it changed my life," Swindell recalls. "I think that’s what we’re here for. You get to a certain level, you’ve got to give back, and I always said I would if I could just get a chance.

"The songwriting thing -- that’s why we have songs, and that’s why we get to sing them. Songwriters are my favorite people in the world, so I’m glad we got a great community here in country music, the best in the world," he adds. "I’m glad to help anyway I can and find people I believe in and give them the same little boost that I got."